It was 1966. The world was vibrating with a brand of tension that felt both terrifying and electric. You had the Civil Rights Movement hitting a fever pitch, the Vietnam War scaling up, and a generation of kids who were honestly just tired of the "business as usual" religion of their parents. They wanted something raw. Something that actually looked like the Gospel they read about in those dusty pews.
Enter Peter Scholtes.
He was a young Catholic priest at St. Brendan’s on the South Side of Chicago. He didn't set out to write a global anthem. He was just trying to find a song for a youth choir. He needed something that fit a series of ecumenical events he was organizing, but everything in the hymnal felt... old. Stiff. It didn't capture the urgency of the moment. So, he sat down and wrote They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love in a single afternoon.
It’s a simple tune. It’s got that minor-key, folk-inflected haunt to it that screams late sixties. But more than the melody, it was the manifesto. It wasn't about "us versus them." It was a radical claim that the only way to prove faith was through the quality of one's affection for others.
Why the Message of They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love Hits Different Today
We live in a deeply polarized culture. That's not news. But because of this, the lyrics Scholtes penned have shifted from a "nice sentiment" to a stinging indictment of modern religious tribalism.
The song is based heavily on John 13:35. In that passage, Jesus tells his disciples that their love for one another is the specific "ID badge" for the world. He didn't say they’d know you by your bumper stickers. He didn't say they’d know you by your political affiliation or how loud you argue on social media.
Love. That’s the metric.
👉 See also: Dave's Hot Chicken Waco: Why Everyone is Obsessing Over This Specific Spot
When you look at the lines "We will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand," it hits differently when you realize Scholtes was writing this during a time of intense racial segregation in Chicago. To sing about walking hand in hand wasn't just a poetic flourish. It was a political and social protest. It was a demand for unity in a city—and a church—that was often fractured by color lines and class status.
The Folk Mass Revolution
You can't talk about this song without talking about the "Folk Mass." Before the mid-60s, Catholic liturgy was almost exclusively Latin, very formal, and heavily organ-based. Then came Vatican II. The windows were thrown open.
Suddenly, guitars were allowed in the sanctuary. For some of the older generation, this was basically sacrilege. For the youth, it was a lifeline. They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love became the flagship song of this movement. It was easy to learn. You could play it with three chords. It felt like the music people were actually listening to on the radio, yet it held a spiritual weight that felt authentic.
It’s kind of wild to think about how much pushback these "guitar masses" received. But Scholtes’ song survived the "worship wars" of the 70s and 80s because the truth in the lyrics was too hard to argue with.
The Surprising Theology of the Lyrics
Most people sing the chorus and tune out for the rest. But if you look at the verses, Scholtes was doing some pretty heavy lifting.
"We will work with each other, we will work side by side."
✨ Don't miss: Dating for 5 Years: Why the Five-Year Itch is Real (and How to Fix It)
This is a nod to the concept of the "Common Good." It’s the idea that faith isn't just a private, internal feeling you have while sitting in a room. It’s a labor-intensive endeavor. It’s "guarding each man’s dignity and saving each man’s pride."
Think about that line for a second: Saving each man's pride. In a world that loves to shame, the song argues that a Christian's job is to protect the dignity of others. Even those they disagree with. It’s about restoring the humanity of your neighbor. That is a high bar. It’s also probably why the song makes some people uncomfortable today. It’s easy to love people who are like you. It’s a whole other thing to "work side by side" with someone who is fundamentally different.
Beyond the Church Walls
The song eventually jumped the fence. It wasn't just for Catholics anymore. By the 1970s, the "Jesus People" movement—essentially the hippie version of Christianity—adopted it as their own. It showed up in evangelical hymnals, at summer camps, and at massive rallies like Explo '72.
Jars of Clay, the quintessential 90s Christian alt-rock band, covered it and brought it to a whole new generation. They kept that slightly eerie, minor-key vibe but added a modern edge. It worked because the song’s core—the longing for a love that actually does something—is universal.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Song
A lot of people think the song is a bit "kumbaya." They see it as a soft, fuzzy, feel-good tune about being nice.
That’s a mistake.
🔗 Read more: Creative and Meaningful Will You Be My Maid of Honour Ideas That Actually Feel Personal
The song is actually quite demanding. The grammar isn't "we feel love." It’s "they will know... by our love." It’s an evidentiary standard. It implies that if the love isn't visible, if it isn't tangible, then the "Christian" label is basically a lie. It’s a song about accountability.
In the original context, Scholtes was calling out a church that he felt had become too inward-looking. He was pushing his congregation to look at the poverty and the injustice in Chicago and see it as their problem.
The Legacy of Peter Scholtes
Peter Scholtes eventually left the priesthood, got married, and spent the rest of his life working in social work and quality management. He passed away in 2009. While he wrote other things, nothing ever touched the zeitgeist quite like this song.
He didn't make a fortune off it, either. For a long time, the song was just out there in the world, being sung in basements and cathedrals alike. He once mentioned in an interview that he was just glad it was being used. That’s the hallmark of a great folk song—it belongs to the people, not the person who wrote it.
How to Apply the Message Today
If you're looking to actually live out the ethos of They Will Know We Are Christians by Our Love, it’s going to require more than just humming the melody. It’s about a shift in how we interact with the "other."
- Audit your "Digital Love": Honestly, look at your social media feed. If someone who didn't know you looked at your comments, would "love" be the first word they used to describe you? If the answer is no, the song is a call to change the tone.
- Proximity is Key: You can't walk "hand in hand" with someone if you’re never near them. Seek out spaces where you are the minority or where you have to listen more than you speak.
- Dignity over Victory: In every conflict, ask yourself if you are trying to "win" or if you are trying to "save the other person's pride" (their dignity). The song suggests the latter is the Christian way.
- Physical Service: Scholtes wrote about working "side by side." Find a tangible way to serve in your local community—not as a leader, but as a worker.
The song isn't a relic of the 60s. It’s a mirror. When we sing it, we have to ask ourselves if the lyrics are a description of our lives or just a catchy melody we use to mask a lack of action.
The next step is simple but incredibly difficult: find one person this week who is fundamentally different from you—politically, socially, or religiously—and find a way to "guard their dignity." That’s where the song actually starts.